Two Questions come to mind!

It sounds like B-man is happy in his job, a job he does well. If he were a noob on the job, he wouldn't be at his oufit. As I said before, it would be nice to be in this situation. Good outfit, good loads, some hard work but no wheel-holding-only, and definitely no lumping. As far as the industry goes, he's niche. If he doesn't believe it, ask him to trade jobs with a JobHunt driver and go OTR.

You should set your goals toward acquiring the know-how and experience to land in a spot like he's in. The odds are against you, but not overwhelmingly so. There are only so many of these jobs to go 'round, and 99.5% of drivers in those jobs wouldn't trade for what you'll be doing when you start out. That 0.5%? Well, there are idiots in all lines of work. Outside of these idiots, you'll have to wait on somebody to retire or drop dead to get a BurkyJob.

 

Actually, I have nothing to do with the manufacture of Dr Pepper. We used to, but we sold off our liquid division, so we no longer hauil the high fructose corn syrup needed to make their product. As far as hersheys, I run product to them often, sometimes in Hershey Pa, sometimes in Va, sometimes in Illinois.

As for it being a niche job, of course it is in that it is not a job hauling around a box. But there are companies that pull tankers that take on new drivers, and there are companies doing things other than dragging around boxes on wheels. I have always taken the stance that if everyone else is hauling a van, then I am not going to haul around a van. The better money is always in doing something a little bit different from the pack.

And while it is true that we don't hire brand new drivers, we do hire with a years experience, so it's not like the work is unobtainable or you have to wait for someone to die. You just have to lose the mindset that all there is to trucking is pulling a box from point A to point B.

 

If you're driving "up" from Chicago, then you're going either through Canada to get to Buffalo or you're going the upper P of Michigan and then 'down' to Detroit and then either Cleveland or Windsor. If you go the Canada route, I guess it'd depend on what happens at the border. According to what I've read here, a wheel-holder must take a birth certificate along on Canada runs these days. If he doesn't have it when crossing into the big maple leaf, I guess it'll take a while for him to get back.

 

And get over the idea that the only companies available to you are those that stick advertisements in your face or pester you with phone calls day in and day out. There are many, many more choices out there. Many of those outfits will actually hire you.

 

it is also supposed to "suspend" any sediment ETC. in the oil so you get it all out with the oil and it doesn't just stay at the bottom of the pan.

 

Lil, can you do me a favor? Don't think I'm being a smart alleck. Far from it. I'm all for you and am on your side. But can you use only ONE period at the end of your sentences?